Testimony of Conversion

I grew up in the Eastern Cape: a mountainous stretch of land along South Africa’s southern region. As a small boy, I attended a traditional Xhosa initiation school, and remember being a very immoral person even at that age. I debated Christians whenever the opportunity presented itself, and didn’t pull my punches when it came to attacking the faith. I wanted to prove to them just how futile their religion was, but to be honest with myself, I really just despised and envied them. I myself wasn’t particularly disadvantaged at school: I had good grades (better than most), but they had visible peace. They were secure. I didn’t have that.

This hatred and jealousy continued to rage within me even as I moved on to university in 2011. 

In February of my first year, I watched a man perform poetry on a stage. Out of pure interest in his performance, I went to talk to him. As the poet engaged me in conversation, our chat ended up moving towards religion. Christianity to be exact. As I had done in my elementary school years, I attacked him with all the viciousness I could muster through the questions that I had asked others. They hadn’t been able to answer them.

“You will see these things when your eyes are opened.”

Unlike those, this man answered with calm simplicity and answered every question I had with honesty: sometimes giving me answers, and at other times confessing that he did not know. Near the end of our conversation, he explained one of the most famous verses, John 3:16, and pricked my heart with it. He revealed to me that God loved me through Christ. God loved me, a man who clearly wasn’t deserving of such love and sacrifice.

Almost as soon as this had been done, I told the poet and man (who would then become my brother), that I would like to accept Christ as the Lord and Savior of my life, and that I wanted to give my life to Him at that moment! There started my wonderful journey of salvation.

Call to Ministry

After my salvation, I joined a semi-charismatic church which used to be called, “His People Church,” but that is now called, “Every Nation Church.” It was there that I learned the basics of Christian faith, and I was even given the opportunity to work as a deacon, a role that I would fill for the final two years of my university life. I was also involved in two additional areas of ministry: I led one where I would evangelize to rural areas during the school holidays with two friends, and the other was a project to help transform a church back to a more biblical foundation.

It was at these times, as well as at my university, that I was exposed to more reformed theology by Paul Washer, especially when I heard his famous “shocking youth message” sermon. As I learned more, God gave me the grace to understand that this reformed faith was in fact the biblical faith. This revelation informed many areas of my life, and I found that the church I had been attending for so long could no longer satisfy that which I needed.

When I eventually left university, I was determined to find a church that taught what I believed. When I came to the VAAL Triangle (a large urban complex where I am currently based), I felt utterly hopeless with my surroundings. I couldn’t find a single church that seemed to teach the truth. Discouraged, I went to a charismatic church near me, and stayed there for about two years. I accepted a position as a youth pastor, and resigned myself to being hurt. I was cut every time I went to church and listened to incorrect doctrine, and it eventually became too much for me.

I decided to leave the church.

I would look for a sound church, or I would stay home.

It was at this time that a brother of mine referred me to “Three Rivers Baptist Church.” It turned out to be exactly what I had been longing for, and so I began to attend. In 2018 I became a member. In 2019, after staying for a little more than a year, an elder called Kobus recognized my spiritual gift of leadership, and told me that the rest of the church thought the same as well. After approaching me with this, and after copious time spent in prayer, I accepted their offer of elderhood in 2020. One year later, we embarked to the township of Orange Farm, and the ministry there has been living and breathing up to now.

Looking back, I see that the call to ministry has been a process rather than one instant event. It started back at my university, and grew until any career ambition I had held was obliterated. Fame and fortune held no draw, and the only urge I felt was to serve the Lord. I never completed my studies at the university: I no longer had a passion for them. 

A desire to serve the Lord, along with the God given ability of teaching he had planted inside me was recognized by Three Rivers Baptist Church. As things stand now, being of service to the Lord is the only thing that brings meaning, contentment, and joy to me.

I do not want anything else…